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30th U-boat Flotilla
30th U-boat Flotilla ("30. Unterseebootsflottille") of the German Kriegsmarine was formed in October 1942. Six U-boats reached the Black Sea after a transport over land and canals The 30th Flotilla was founded in October 1942 under the command of Kptlt. Helmut Rosenbaum. The boats reached Constanza after a transport over land and canals. The operational area was limited to the Black Sea. Its history ended in September 1944, when the three last Flotillas boats U-19, U-20 and U-23 were scuttled on 10 and 11 September 1944 near the Turkish coast. - and operated from the harbours of Constanza and FeodosiyaGordon Williamson, Ian Palmer: U-Boat Bases and Bunkers 1941-45, Volume 3 of Fortress, Osprey Publishing, 2003, ISBN 1-84176-556-2, ISBN 978-1-84176-556-3 p. 31 from 1942 to 1944. History In the First World War, Imperial German submarines had been transported via rail to the Pola Flotilla based in the Adriatic. With Turkey as an ally of the Central Powers, the German Navy could also access the Black Sea via the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, where the Constantinople Flotilla was based. In the Second World War, during Operation Barbarossa, the Luftwaffe engaged the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, but at the Romanian Siege of Odessa (1941), the evacuation of the Red Army forces via the sea could not be prevented with the meagre naval forces available. In October 1941, the 30th Flotilla under the command of Kptlt. Helmut Rosenbaum was founded. With Turkey remaining neutral, access via the Bosphorus was not feasible. It was decided that small vessels, torpedo boats and U-boats, should be transported from the German bight via the Danube to the Black Sea. The predecessor to the modern Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, the 19th century Ludwigskanal, was not suitable, though, so transport via land was necessary. trailer, 1935 in Nuremberg]] in Regensburg]] Six U-boats of the rather small coastal submarine Type IIB, which at the time served as training vessels in the Baltic Sea, were assigned to this flotilla in being. Starting from May 1942, they were partially dismantled in Kiel, to reduce weight and size. Toppled over 90°, and fitted with additional floating devices, the stripped down hulls, weighing 140 tons, were shipped through the Kiel Canal and on the Elbe up to Dresden-Übigau, where they were placed on two 70 ton Culemeyer road transportersKenneth G. Wynn: U-boat operations of the second world war, Volume 1, Chatham, 1997, ISBN 1-86176-024-8, ISBN 978-1-86176-024-1 http://books.google.com/books?id=pJXfAAAAMAAJ&q=Dresden+road+transporters#search_anchor hauled by Kaelble tractors. The boats then traveled at an average speed of 5 mph over the Reichsautobahn (modern day A4 and A9) to the slipway in Ingolstadt. Traveling down the Danube, one obstacleGerd Enders: Deutsche U-Boote zum Schwarzen Meer 1942-1944: eine Reise ohne Wiederkehr, Mittler, 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0520-7, ISBN 978-3-8132-0520-6 http://books.google.com/books?id=vc18AAAAIAAJ&q=Steinerne+Br%C3%BCcke+Regensburg#search_anchor was the old Stone Bridge of Regensburg with its arches. At Linz or Vienna, the boats were partially refitted, to be towed between two barges to the Romanian harbour of Galaţi, where further work was carried out. The first boat started to operate from the Romanian port of Constanţa in October 1942, the last joined in May 1943. Despite carrying only five torpedoes, the Type II boats were effectiveGordon Williamson: Wolf Pack: The Story of the U-Boat in World War II, Osprey Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-84603-141-9, ISBN 978-1-84603-141-0 p.219 in the Black Sea theatre. In total, 26 ships with 45,426 tons were sunk. U-20 was a lucky boatGordon Williamson: Wolf Pack: The Story of the U-Boat in World War II, Osprey Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-84603-141-9, ISBN 978-1-84603-141-0 p.214 sinking 15 enemy ships with 38,500 tons without suffering casualties amongst her crew. When the Romanians switched sides in 1944, U-9, U-18 and U-24 were scuttled near the harbour, and later raised by the Soviets. The Flotilla's history ended in September 1944, when its three last boats U-19, U-20 and U-23 had to be scuttled on 10 and 11 September near the Turkish coast. Flotilla commanders References Literature * Gerd Enders: Deutsche U-Boote zum Schwarzen Meer. February 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0520-7 * Gerd Enders: Deutsche U-Boote im Schwarzen Meer. 1984; ISBN 3-7822-0334-8 External links * http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/UFlottillen/30-R.htm * Hans Michael Kloth: U-Boot auf der Autobahn. In: Spiegel-Online vom 5. February 2008 * 30 Category:Military units and formations established in 1941 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1944